Oxygen is essential to many physiological and metabolic processes, including aerobic metabolism. A lack of oxygen for implanted cells often leads to cell injury or death. Oxygen provision is a vital component in sustaining transplanted cells.
The success of many transplants is compromised not only due to graft-host rejections, but also on account of ischemic conditions generated by insufficient oxygen supply to the transplant. Following implantation of the cells, oxygen is provided to the implanted cells from the body tissue (mainly via diffusion). However, the natural diffusion rate is too low in order to provide the cells with a significant, necessary amount of oxygen.
In healthy individuals, insulin release is regulated so as to maintain blood glucose levels in the range of about 70 to 110 milligrams per deciliter. In diabetics, insulin is either not produced at all (Type I diabetes), or the body cells do not properly respond to the insulin that is produced (Type II diabetes). The result is elevated blood glucose levels.
PCT Publication WO 01/50983 to Vardi et al., and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/466,069 in the national phase thereof, which are assigned to the assignee of the present application and are incorporated herein by reference, describe an implantable device comprising a chamber for holding functional cells and an oxygen generator for providing oxygen to the functional cells. In one embodiment, the oxygen generator is described as comprising photosynthetic cells that convert carbon dioxide to oxygen when illuminated. In another embodiment, the oxygen generator is described as comprising electrodes that produce oxygen by electrolysis.
US Patent Application Publication 2005/0136092 to Rotem, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes apparatus including a chamber, which is adapted to be implanted in a body of an individual, the chamber including functional cells and chlorophyll-containing elements comprising chlorophyll of an obligate photoautotroph. Typically, the chlorophyll-containing elements include intact photosynthetic cells and/or isolated chloroplasts. The chlorophyll-containing elements provide oxygen to the functional cells and/or consume carbon dioxide produced by the functional cells. The chamber has one or more walls that are adapted to be permeable to nutrients and substances produced or secreted by the cells. The walls also typically immunoisolate the cells from constituents of the body. The chamber is adapted to be implanted under skin of the subject, or in the peritoneum. The apparatus further comprises a light source that is adapted to provide light to the chlorophyll-containing elements. The chamber may comprise an oxygen sensor that detects an oxygen concentration in a vicinity of the functional cells, and/or in a vicinity of the chlorophyll-containing elements. Providing the light in the series of pulses generally reduces power consumption of the apparatus, and/or provides control of the quantity of oxygen produced by the chlorophyll-containing elements, and/or provides control of the quantity of carbon dioxide consumed by the chlorophyll-containing elements. In some embodiments of the invention, the chamber comprises an oxygen reservoir, which typically comprises a material that stores and releases oxygen, such as responsively to an oxygen concentration in a vicinity of the reservoir. The oxygen reservoir typically stores oxygen produced by the chlorophyll-containing elements that is in excess of the current needs of the functional cells, and releases the stored oxygen if insufficient oxygen is later generated by the chlorophyll-containing elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,368,592 to Colton et al., which is incorporated herein by reference, describes techniques for supplying oxygen to cells in vitro or in vivo by generating oxygen with an oxygen generator that electrolyzes water to oxygen and hydrogen. The oxygen generator is described as supplying oxygen to cells contained in an encapsulating chamber for implanting in the body, such as an immunoisolation chamber bounded by a semipermeable barrier layer that allows selected components to enter and leave the chamber. A bioactive molecule may be present with the cells.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,677 to Clark, Jr. et al., which is incorporated herein by reference, describes an implantable biosensor and method for sensing products, such as hydrogen peroxide, generated from an enzymatic reaction between an analyte, like glucose, and an enzyme in the presence of oxygen. The biosensor is described as being equipped with an enclosed chamber for containing oxygen, and can be adapted for extracting oxygen from animal tissue adjacent the container. The biosensor is designed to optically or electrically sense products generated from the enzymatic reaction, which serve as a function of the analyte.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,960,351 to Dionne et al., which is incorporated herein by reference, describes an immunoisolatory vehicle for the implantation into an individual of cells which produce a needed product or provide a needed metabolic function. The vehicle is comprised of a core region containing isolated cells and materials sufficient to maintain the cells, and a permselective, biocompatible, peripheral region free of the isolated cells, which immunoisolates the core yet provides for the delivery of the secreted product or metabolic function to the individual. The vehicle is described as being particularly well-suited to delivery of insulin from immunoisolated islets of Langerhans, and as being used advantageously for delivery of high molecular weight products, such as products larger than IgG. A method of making a biocompatible, immunoisolatory implantable vehicle is also described, consisting in a first embodiment of a coextrusion process, and in a second embodiment of a stepwise process. A method is described for isolating cells within a biocompatible, immunoisolatory implantable vehicle, which protects the isolated cells from attack by the immune system of an individual in whom the vehicle is implanted. A method is described of providing a needed biological product or metabolic function to an individual, comprising implanting into the individual an immunoisolatory vehicle containing isolated cells which produce the product or provide the metabolic function.
The '351 patent describes a vehicle that provides, in at least one dimension, sufficiently close proximity of any isolated cells in the core to the surrounding tissues of the recipient, including the recipient's bloodstream, in order to maintain the viability and function of the isolated cells. However, the diffusional limitations of the materials used to form the vehicle do not in all cases solely prescribe its configurational limits. Certain additives can be used which alter or enhance the diffusional properties, or nutrient or oxygen transport properties, of the basic vehicle. For example, the internal medium can be supplemented with oxygen-saturated perfluorocarbons, thus reducing the needs for immediate contact with blood-borne oxygen. This is described as allowing isolated cells or tissues to remain viable while, for instance, a gradient of angiotensin is released from the vehicle into the surrounding tissues, stimulating ingrowth of capillaries.
References and methods for use of perfluorocarbons are described in Faithful, N. S. Anaesthesia, 42, pp. 234-242 (1987) and NASA Tech Briefs MSC-21480, U.S. Govt. Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402, which are incorporated herein by reference.
US Patent Application Publication 2005/0025680 to Monzyk et al., which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a photolytic cell and a photolytic artificial lung incorporating such a cell. The photolytic artificial lung converts water to oxygen for blood absorption, regulates pH, removes carbon dioxide, and co-produces electrical power. The photolytic artificial lung includes a photolytic cell where all of the chemical reactions occur. Additionally, Monzyk describes photolytically-sensitive materials for oxygen generation. These materials are useful for gas-free artificial lung fabrication. The photolytic cell is described as being useful for directing chemical reactions in organs other than the lung, and for maintaining breathing air in confined systems.
The following patents and patent applications, which are incorporated herein by reference, may be of interest:    U.S. Pat. No. 6,268,161 to Han, et al.    US Patent Application Publication 2006/0024276 to Ricordi, et al.    U.S. Pat. No. 6,815,186 to Clark, Jr. et al.    U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,154 to Fraker, et al.    US Patent Application Publication 2003/0113302 to Revazova, et al.    U.S. Pat. No. 6,383,478 to Prokop, et al.
The following articles, which are incorporated herein by reference, may be of interest:    Lacy P E et al., “Maintenance of normoglycemia in diabetic mice by subcutaneous xenografts of encapsulated islets,” Science 1782-4 (1991)    Silva A I et al., “An overview on the development of a bio-artificial pancreas as a treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus,” Med Res Rev 26(2):181-222 (2006)    Kaisers U et al., “Liquid ventilation,” British Journal of Anaesthesia 91(1):143-151 (2003)